A Clash of Kings-Chapter 19

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Arya V
A Clash of Kings chapter
AClashOfKings.jpg
POV Arya
Place Near God's Eye
Page 212 UK HC (Other versions)
Chapter chronology (All)
Arya IV
Sansa II  ← Arya V →  Tyrion V

Arya VI

Arya, Gendry, Weasel, Hot Pie and the wounded Lommy return the town the next night and find it burned and everyone dead except for the three lookouts in the tower. The poacher Kurz, who was the only decent woodsman among them, dies from his wound and then Cutjack and Tarber abandon the rest with much of the equipment. They find no one alive in any of the villages they pass until they come to a village where they see smoke from chimneys. Gendry wants to scout the village alone, but decides to take Arya, who is the quietest. Along the way, Gendry reveals that he knows she is a girl and she reveals she is Arya of House Stark. Arya approaches the village to see bodies hanging from a giblet, and Lannister men. Then she sees that they have captured Gendry. She returns with Hot Pie, who causes them to be captured, too.

Synopsis

After their escape, Arya, Gendry, Weasel, Hot Pie and Lommy waited until the next night to steal back into the ruined village. Lommy was fearful and did not want to return, but when they returned, Ser Amory Lorch and his men were gone. Everyone in the village was dead, and wolves or dogs have been at the corpses. Arya refuses to leave until they find Yoren’s body and bury him; there were too many bodies to bury everyone, including the bodies of the dead Lannisters, but Arya insisted Yoren must have a grave. She wanted to cry but also to kick him, and wondered how many men he had taken down with four Lannisters around his corpse. The Lannisters also tried to get to the lookout in the stone tower, but the Tower was inaccessible with the ladder pulled up and would not burn, so those inside were safe. The poacher Kurz took an arrow in the shoulder pulling up the ladder, and later died from the wound.

The Poacher was the one among them that knew the most about the woods; Tarber tried to help him by packing mud and moss on the wound. With the poacher dead, they are left to find what they can to eat. They also have to help Lommy move because of the wound in his leg. Initially Gendry helped him limp on one leg but the wound got worse and they had to start carrying him in a litter. Eventually Cutjack and Tarber abandoned them, taking all of Kurz’ possessions including his hunting bow and horn. Now they are mostly living on acorns and water, only Arya and Weasel have no problem eating bugs; the worms are worse.

Arya would love a bath in the water of the Gods Eye, but she dares not expose herself. She has finally thrown away her rotting shoes, and her blisters and cuts healed; her soles have turned to leather.

Now, Arya is high in a tree peering at a fishing village of twenty-seven houses and some smoking chimneys. This is the first sign of life since they fled the holdfast; the Lannisters have burned and killed everything. These houses promise warmth and shelter. She also spies swans in the lake and part of her wants to be one, and part wants to eat them. With the nimbleness of a Water Dancer, she returns to the others on the ground to report. Hot Pie thinks that they should go to the village, since where there are people there is food, sure that if they yield, they will not be killed. Gendry accuses Hot Pie of sounding like Lommy who is still telling them that if Yoren had surrendered, things would be alright. Hot Pie agrees that Yoren should have surrendered. Gendry tells them that knights and lordlings take each other captive, but don’t care about the lower classes. Hot Pie and Lommy start to talk about looking for dead fish on the shore or cooking crows, and Lommy laments that if his leg was good he would hunt boar. Arya has seen her father hunt boar and knows it requires a boar spear, horses and men. Meanwhile, Gendry is thinking, and finally states they will steal food that night, and that he will scout. Arya and Lommy both object, saying that Arya should go since she is quieter, so Gendry agrees to bring Arya. This raises concern from Hot Pie and Lommy about being left for the wolves. Lommy also wants them to find a potion for his leg. Gendry responds that Lommy has his spear to protect them from the wolves, and they will return with a potion if they find one. He then walks off, wanting to get close to the village before dark.

While walking towards the village, Arya tells Gendry that they might find a maester and he replies that maesters are only found in castles, and do not treat the likes of them, but Arya is sure that Maester Luwin would treat anyone. Gendry then says that Lommy is going to die and the sooner the better, in fact they should have left him—Lommy would have left one of them. He also complains about Weasel crying, and Arya tells him to leave her alone. Gendry goes on to say that Arya is the only one of the group that is useful, even if she is a girl. Arya tries to object that she is a boy, but Gendry states that he is not stupid, and to prove him wrong she will have to pull out her cock. Arya agrees to tell Gendry about why the queen wants her if he tells her why the queen wants him. He replies that he wishes he knew. Arya tells him she is Arya of House Stark, and Gendry is shocked that she is a high born lady, which she definitely does not feel like now; nobody would know her. Gendry is now uncertain how to act towards her, and starts calling her m’lady. Arya tells him if he calls her that, even Hot Pie will notice. When he calls her m’lady again, she slams into his chest and he falls, laughing. She then gives him a kick in the side which only makes him laugh louder. She leaves towards the village and Gendry hurries after.

As they get closer to the village, they smell the scent of rotting flesh. In the village, they find a long gibbet with the dead hanging along it, surrounded by crows and flies. Arya, remembering that fear cuts deeper than swords, looks at each body. Beyond the gibbet stand two guards in mail and the standards of Lannister and Clegane in front of a low building. The two men turn to a shout from a third that arrives with Gendry in his helm. They shove Gendry through the heavy doors into the building. From the building, Arya can hear sobs. Arya watches for hours as the armored men come and go, as dinner is prepared and night falls, but she does not see an opportunity to free Gendry. Late at night she returns to Lommy and Hot Pie to apprise them of the situation. Hot Pie returns with Arya to attempt to free Gendry. As soon as they are close, a guard hears Hot Pie gasp when a crow lands on his back. The Guard booms out "Who’s there?", and Hot Pie immediately leaps to his feet to surrender. Before Arya can do anything, they are surrounded, and her only sword slash is blocked by as steel arm. She takes several hard blows and her sword is wrenched away; the loss of the sword shames her, as it was given to her by Jon Snow and Syrio Forel taught her to use it.

When she his yanked to her knees, she finds herself in front of the biggest man she has ever seen, and suddenly remembers the banner with the three dogs—Sansa told her that it was the banner of Sandor Clegane's brother, Gregor Clegane, bigger than Hodor, the Mountain that Rides. The man orders them to lead them to the others, and walks off. As they walk back to where Lommy and Weasel are hiding, Hot Pie is telling the four guards that he will bake pies for them if they do not hurt him. When they arrive, Lommy informs the guards that Weasel has run. Then, a guard asks Lommy where they can find Beric Dondarrion. Lommy has never heard the name. One of the guards states that this lot knows no more than the cunts in the village. When they learn that Lommy cannot walk, a man casually drives a spear through his throat.

References and Notes